Autumn Massaman Curry

Welcome to the second VeganMoFo post this month. Since I posted bright and early (or late) on Thursday morning, I essentially had the day 'off' yesterday. I have done a bit of thinking about topics I would like to feature during VeganMoFo, and you will be seeing one, using the abundance of autumn and winter squash, in a minute. Each week I will feature a different winter squash and my recipe / adaptation used for it. This week, I bring to you the humble white acorn squash. Yes, you read right. WHITE acorn squash. Frank and I saw it on sale at the grocery and were intrigued. It had a pale white skin and, as seen below, looks beautiful.


Since October has come in full force this week, we both have been craving warm, nourishing foods and decided that a nice Massaman curry that included the squash would fill the job. However, I wanted to preserve the gorgeous paleness of this squash, so I decided to roast it and use it as a serving vessel for our side grain. When roasted the squash yellows in color a bit, and is creamy and mild in taste. The curry sauce was made from a combination of a Massaman paste, coconut milk, almond milk, and tamarind paste. Other delicious early fall vegetables- bok choy, cauliflower, Japanese turnips and peppers, rounded out the dish.

Autumn Massaman Curry

For the squash:
1 medium white acorn squash, cut in half width-wise and seeded

For the grain:
1 c. grain of your choice
2 c. water

For the curry:
4 Tbsp Massaman curry paste
1 can lite coconut milk
1 c. plain almond milk
3 Tbsp tamarind paste
2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 lb. cauliflower
6 medium-sized Japanese turnips
1 red bell pepper
1 small bunch bok choy
1 4 oz can sliced bamboo shoots
Cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
First, we will make the curry sauce. Place all ingredients in a blender, and mix until emulsified. Taste for balance- massaman should be spicy, sweet, and tangy all at the same time, due to the combination of ingredients. If you taste more of one ingredient (such as tamarind), increase a bit of the others.

Next, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and set 2 cups of water to boil. When ready, place squash face down in a small baking dish in the oven. Add your grain to the water and let simmer as well. Both will cook for about 35 - 40 minutes.

While the squash and grain are cooking, prepare your vegetables, cutting all into small-medium sized pieces. Place cauliflower and Japanese turnips into a large pan with water, and simmer until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, return to pan, and add remaining vegetables and curry sauce. Place on medium heat and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until bok choy stems are juicy and tender. As each item (grain, squash, curry) finishes cooking, remove from heat.

To serve, spoon curry into a wide shallow bowl, and place acorn squash half in the center. Place your grain in the center of the acorn squash and sprinkle chopped cilantro over the entire dish. Enjoy!